Multicultural Counseling Competencies Individual and Organizational Development by D. W. Sue et al., Multicultural Aspects of Counseling Series, no. 11, series ed. Paul Anderson, London and New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1998, xiv + 161 pp.

Abstract

In this thought-provoking and insightful book, ten psychologists, coW1selors,
and educators have provided a ground-breaking study on multicultural counseling,
a subject still fairly new to the field. Based on the work of Division 17
open meeting of the Committee of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity, 1982, the
authors present guidelines for identifying monoculturalism and multiculturalism,
proposing methods for achieving change at the individual, organizational,
and professional levels.
The authors argue that European-American traditions and research often
focus on the impact of intrapsychic factors on human development, ignoring
influences of culture. They further argue that psychologists, who are aware of
and sensitive to other worldviews, should not only emphasize the knowledge
of such worldviews but should also incorporate them into the psychotherapeutic
process. Multicultural Counseling Competencies is a timely book that could
be used as a guide for mental health professionals.
Chapter 1 of the book presents a definition of "multiculturalism" and a working
guideline upon which mental health professionals should base their knowledge,
skills, and practice. Chapter 2 deals with "ethnocentric monoculturalism,"
providing historical background on the emergence and development of a
Euro-American worldview and highlighting how mental health professionals
subscribe to such a worldview without questioning its validity and applicability
in a multicultural society.
The profession's response to multiculturalism is the subject of the third chapter.
This chapter identifies the "Seven Deadly Resistances" that are often ...